The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-10-13
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ONCE, Nos. as and 81 rourtoouth street.


ONCE, Nos. aa and 81 Fourtoonths Street.
| IN THE STRAIT OF GEORGIA.
A Dangerous Pasaago-Hsathen Graves-A
~ Ben Little known.
Special Correspondence d ne Ente9i0tncr.
When got safely back from the Santa
Barbara Islands, four years ago, I was
strongly Of the opinion that would moi
60 on the sea any more. One earncat OK.
perience Of seaaickneus dlspelled the delu.
sion that ocean yoyagea were oil romance.
From that time, the allurcment haa been
Intellectual In getting mo from the land,
until the other day, whom aomo evil spirit
moved me to embark from tho town OF
Vancouver for q passage to Victoria, tho
Capital Of British Columbia. "Tho odor
Of the brine from the ocean," which iu 90
fpoetic when one stands on bridge at
midnight, eighteen miles from the sea, Is
quite another thing when ono Ia being
pitched about in storm out OF sight OF
land. XII.
1t was not entirely optional with mo
whether l should take tho voyage or no..
for | waa under the necessity Of getting
back to the United States, and this was
the only route open for mo. had tried
| 10 perBuade myeelf that | wanted tn m
and indeed had epent a day or two IN
the town persuading myself. MY window
looked out over the tide water coming in
from the Pacific, but the ocean itself was
ont Of sight beyond the Islands; and / had
sat by tho window remembering the
"Ancient Mariner" and Ssppho, and
Ulysses, and many other worthy sea dir.
nitaries, all IN order that I might persuade
myself that 1t would be nice to take tho
voyage. hadto 20 anyhow, aud would
be 80 much more agreeable II I could 60
willingly, and II was for that reason that |
was trying to coax myself to start. But
with the beat could do, I hesitated day
before finally took up my va'ise and flied
sullenly and reluctantly out Of the town,
down to the Eve huge stumps that answer
the purpose OF whari, and there wait.
ed the coming Of tho steamer which wso
to transport mo 10 Victoria.
The tide WAS low, and the steamer YES
splendid one, drawing many feet OF
wator. II could approach only tolerably
near the ahore, and in order TO assist the
passengers in getting on board, long
gang.plank was laid from the deck to one
Of tho hugo stumps on the bank, and the
people marched In over this psssspe.way.
something like the Knights in feudsl
timeo used to march into belos,uered|
castles over draw~bsldges.
We lost no time in getting started, and
1t WAS only little later than noon when
the irat.infested port oil Vancouver was
sinking from eight below the ephericity
Of the earth. It seemed 10 be fsst Of |
navigation to steer clear OF the long lines |
OF reefs running in every direction lbs.
bsneath the surface OF the wator. But, by
following zigzag course, this way and
that, 80 made our way through.
Tho last reef that we passed appeared to
be tho most dangerous OF all. Itran from
a sharp point Of land, entirely across the
narrow neck Of gea through which we
were passing, and the water over it was
qhatlow. The tide was risiug. and the
flood flowing In, poured in over this reef
like it would over milldam, almost con.
vsrting'it into cataract. 1t looked doubt
lul for while whether our steamer could !
make Roadway against this swift, inflow.
ing current. These who have seen the
tide coming in through the Golden Gate
at San Francisco, can form an idea Of this
at Vancouver, although the Golden Gate
is considerably wider, and the fall is not
80 abrupt.
But, after a desperate effort, our boat
passed the reef, end We entered the wide
and romantic streit Of Georgia. Just aH
we were passing the point OF the hill that
rises nearly vertical from the edge OF the
sea, our attention was called to some
graves a2sirst the rocke. We were then
quite near and could see without the aid
Of epy.glasses; but the 'spy.elasB was an
assistance in discovering the savage su-
perstition that gibAets the dead in Guch
manner. They were tho tomhH OF Indians,
They were not graves as We would call
them. A scsao.d several feet high had
been made by driving posts down.
among the rocke. and placing transverse
pieces on top. Upon thio frail trell;s the
dead man is laid to his lost rest; and tho
scadold which is hia tomb is liable to be-:
blown down by tho first storm that comes.
II it is blown down, then the CORPSE with
Its shroud Of bark and leaves, and the
Tsmpum, the beads and the drapery. and
the arrows and the bow, and the skeleton
Of the faithful dog that is always buried
with hia master, together with all the
other earthly possessions that shall DO his
passport to tho celestial ahors-all these,
when the storm comes, will 70 rolling
down into the sea together.
This heather burial place is on q mos!
desclate promo1tory overhanging the sea,
The surroundings are iunsreal. The cy.
presses and pines that cling from trevices
in the stormy heightu, have not that look
OF peeca and quiet which they 80 often
oave.. They did not seem to be bending
down and mourning over tho dead be.
meath, as they do in cemeteries and church
yards. But they etood high above, old !
and doformed, their tender folsge whip.
ped awey by the ceaseless winds, and
their heavier branches reaching out like
giant arms, ilingiug defiance to time and
storms and tempeets and the dead. Their
spectral ehadows arc thrown against the
frontage Of tho cliffs, and move and Glide |
shout, like tho very Cheats OF tie dead
hea!hens who reat beneath. Beneath, on
three eides round, the waves of restless
aca are roaring their eternal dirges. A
cold, damp mint hangs over the rocks, and
blends the gloom into modern Boeosia.
The eceno WAS Of short duration; for
while We we're yet looking in tho di7ec.
lion OF the clife, and were thinking oftho
desolstion and cheerleesnese Of the eur.
;oundiDge, we had passed out into the sea,
and the sun was shining brightly Oh the
water. But itappearsd that the nun shone
80 brightly no where elsei for in tho dis.
lance all objsc.a on the main land or on
the islands were dim with smoke, and in
a few minutes more We passod out OF sight
Of land altogether. We had passed almost
instantly from land on all sides, out into
an ocean without shores. is
ave were tho first that ever burst
G Into that silent sea-" Iii. ttlttt4'
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